Christopher Ash on The Psalms at The Pastors Academy

I have remarked I am sure on the blessing of living near to the London Seminary/Pastors Academy. They had another of their special lecture weeks this week nnd I went along. Christopher Ash has a four volume commentary out on the Psalms and was able to draw on that to provide two and two half-days of lectures for Seminary students adn others. Ash is a mild mannered fellow and not Ivory-towered at all. I enjoyed his stab at the psalms, looking at their theology, the history of their exposition and other matters. I am very sympathetic to his view that we should see Christ everywhere in the Psalms (as opposed to Philip Eveson and others who are much more cautious). There were no major break throughs for me but something like the paralllels between Psalms 1 and 2 I'd missed (see below).

1. They are both untitled, something which is unusual in the first book of the Psalter.

2. There is an inclusio which uses the word happy or blessed at the start of Psalm 1 (1:1) and the end of Psalm 2 (2:12).

3. Both refer to ‘the way’ - 1:1 and 2:12 again.

4. Both use the Hebrew word hagah in a manner central to the psalm’s ‘argument’. In 1:2 it is often translated meditating and in 2:1 as muttering. In both places it could be translated as murmuring; in the former case the positive murmuring of torah and in the latter, negative language as in the English idiom of ‘under one’s breath’.

5. The pious individual in Psalm 1 parallels the anointed of Yahweh in Psalm 2.

6. The wicked, sinners and mockers in Psalm 1 parallel the rebellious kings and rulers in Psalm 2.

(I couldn't reach ten!)